Regenerative hot-blast stove



(No' Model.)

' P. L.- WBIMBR.

REGENBRATIVE HOT BLAST STOVF.y No; 292,188. Patented Jan. 22. `1884.

l l Y WITNESSES y gio/ I Aforney 5 sheets-sheen 2.

(No Model.)

P." L. WEIMER. REGENERATVE Hof.: BLAST sTovB.

Patented Jan, 22. 1884.'

5' Sheets-Sheet .4.

(No Model.)

l P. L. WBIMER. RBGENBRATIVE HOT BLAST sTovE.

10.292.188. Patented Jan. 22.-', 1884.

- INVENTOR of 71K l -v Ahorney N. PTERs. rlwwuumgmlmer, Winningen". u. c.

(Nompdel.) Y 5 sheetssheet 5.4'I

P L. WEIMBR.

l vREGEIIERA'IIVEYHOT BLAST STOVB. No.'292,188. Patented Jan. 22,1884.

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` v I Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE. v

PETER L. WEIMEE, on LEEANQN, PENNSYLVANIA.

REGENERATNE Hoi-'BLASTSTOVJEQ v' i SPECIFICATION form-ing part of Letters Patent No'. 292,188, dated January `22, 1(84.

iqiplicati'on filed August 27, 1883. (No modell) To @ZZ whoml it may concern.:

Beit known that I, PETER L. WEIMER, of Lebanon, in the county of Lebanon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regenerative Hot- Blast Stoves,V and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. y

My invention relates to an improvement in regenerative hot-blast stoves, the'obj eets of the same being, iirst, economy inv first cost of conL strueting the plant. A further object is the economy in maintaining the plant, due to the fact that no excessive temperature is required in the combustion-chambers. A further object is to construct the combustionchambers so that the unconsumed gases will pass through the first regenerator into the second combustion-chamber, receivingth'ereby an increased temperature to iit them `for combustion in this second combustion-chamber, andv so on through several regenerators. A further obj ect is to so construct the regenerators whereby a `high temperature in the combustion-chamber is rendered unnecessary. Afurther obj ect is to so construct the stove that the ordinary draftstack and flues leading thereto are dispensed with. A further object is to provide means for supplying air tothe regenerators in such a manner-that the combustion of the admitted air and gases cannot take place until it reaches the combustion-chamber.Av A further object is to provide a cheap and simple brick,which, laid end to end in successi-ve layers, forms the necessary net-work or cells. A further object is to form the combustion is to provide improved valves for closing the air and gas pipes, whereby undue expansion is prevented; and with these ends in view my invention consists inthe parts and combinations of parts, as will be more fully described, and pointed out in the claims. f

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in elevation of my improved stove.`

Fig. 2 is a' vertical' sectional view of the same on line a: x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aview partly in plan and partly in section. Fig; 4 is ahori- A further object.l

or the boilers of the blast-furnacezontal sectional view through one of the regenerator chambers, showing the beveled bricks. Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the bricks made in the form of Greek crosses. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of one of the regenerator-chambers, showing the beveled bricks. Fig. 7 is a similar View, showing the other form of bricks. Fig. 8 is a'detached view of one style of brick employed.` Fig. Qshows the other form. Fig. l() is an enlarged view of one of the watercooled` valves, and Figs. 1l and l2 show the manner of constructing the arches of the combustion-chamben j In this stove, instead of causing the current of heated gases inI combustion to alternately travel up and down through the stove and L inally escape at the'bottom into an underground iiue leading to the draft-stack, I dis-v pense with the up -and-'down trav el of the gases,

as well as the escape at the bottom, the underground ilue, and the draftstack, and cause the lheating-gases to travel in a continuous upward direction. The escaping gases of a blast-furnace, that are usually used for the purpose of heating the regenerative hot-blast stoves and v generating the steam are composed, princi pally, of nitrogen and carbonio acid, with hydrogen and carbonio oxide in the minority, forminga compound difficult of `thorough combustion. Two systems are in use for the combustion of these gases in blast-furnace practice, both for generating steam and heating the blast. The one consists in admitting the .gases Vinto a combustionchamber and there consuming them as much as possible, utilizing the resultant heat in the regenerators of the regenerative hot-blast stove, or for heating the` iron lpipes in the iron-pipe hot-blast stove The other system of consuming these gases is .to burn them with as much extended a flame as practical. The combustion-chamberis comparatively smallfand the gases are fed with air in their passagev under the boilers, or through the hot-blast stove at dierent points, so as to maintain as long a ame as possible. y

It is a well-known fact that if the escaping gases of a blast-furnace are highly heated eombustionl of them will be more thorough.V The nitrogen of furnace-gases,being largely in excess in volume, forms, as it were, a matrix in which the combustible part of the compound is enveloped, and prevents any'wasting or slow burning taking place; but by increasing its temperature it appears to impart to the earbonic oxide and hydrogen an increased affinity for oxygen, and when this oxygen is supplied furnishes it with the necessary heat to enter into vigorous combustion. Vere the gases only carbonic oxide and hydrogen, the heat carried by the nitrogen not being at hand to raise the temperature of the incomingr oxygen, a less active combustion would be the result. ln consequence of the presence of this large volume of nitrogen and carbonic acid, considerable room is required for its thorough combustion, and when a greater volume of gas is admitted into this room than can be consumed, the excess passes along with the resultant gases of combustion and takes fire so soon as it reaches an open or enlarged space supplied with oxygen, as is often seen at the top of furnace-chimneys. Theescapinggasesthusfound burning at the top of chimneys does so with great vigor, though but a comparatively small portion of them are combustible. This vigorous burning is no doubt due to the high temperature at which these gases reach the atmosphere, and to the heat carried along by nitrogen and carbonic acid being conveyed to the imparting oxygen, and, as it were, heating the air supplied.

In my regenerative stove I take advantage of the foregoing principles governing the laws of blast-furnace-gas combustion, as will appear hereinafter.

In my system of regenerative hot-blast stoves I provide two, three, or more iron casings,sueh as are usually used for regenerative stoves, except that I decrease the diameter and increase the height, besides allowing each stovecasing to form its own draft-stack by providing a suitable chimney on each one.

As the stoves are all duplicates, I will described only one of them,as answering for all.

The casing A of my No. l stove is preferably fourteen feet in diameter and seventyseven feet high to where the. conical top begins, which latter is preferably six feet high, terminating with a Adraft-stack or chimney, C, four feet in diameter. This draft-stack is provided with one of my cooled air-tight valves, D, that is closed when the stove is on air,77 and opened wheny on gas.7

The air-inlet pipe E enters the chimney of the stove just below the valve D that opens and closes the draft, and, by preference, I place the main air-pipe F near the ground and' run the conducting-pipeE from it to the entrance at the chimney ofthe stove before mentioned, putting an ordinary cut-off valve, G, near the ground. Near the bottom, on the opposite side of the stove, I, by preference, place the outletpipe II for the heated air, and which at the same time forms the inlet-opening for the gases. This opening is provided with a casing and suitable water-cooled valves, which will be more fully described further on.

After the casing has been erected and the various valve attachments made, I proceed to line it with fire-brick in the following manner: I first cover the entire bottom with re-brick to the depth of about eighteen inches, leaving several inches around the sides to allow for expansion. I next begin the erection of the first combustion-chamber K, the walls of which are preferably eighteen inches thick, placed several inches from the sides of the casing to provide for expansion of the brick, and the side walls of this combustion-chamber are carried up straight about four feet when the first brick-work of the regenerator begins. The regenerator is composed of a net-work of firebrick, made of alternate layers of block or bri ck I, formed in the shape of a Greek cross, and straight blocks J with miter ends. By preference I make the Greek-cross brick with arms four inches long, four inches wide, and six inches thick. A series of these brick laid with the ends of the arms joining, will form a net-work in which the openings will be eight inches square and the bars four inches wide. The straight brick .I with miter ends are four inches wide, six inches thick, and twelve inches long, and are laid end to end, forming anet-work of the same dimension as the Greekcross brick, and breaking joints, when laid in alternate courses, with the brick I. The bottom and top of both these shapes of brick are not hat surfaces, but are depressed in the center on one surface, as shown at a, and correspondingly raised on the other surface, as shown at b. The rise is about a half-inch in the center of the brick with a straight line to edge, the depression being in reverse on the opposite side. The object in thus forming the top and bottom of the brick is that a better interlocking may take place and prevent the brick from sliding or moving out of position after they are laid in the regenerator. By this device of brick I secure a perfect alignment of the openings of fiues of the regencrator,with no possibility of getting out of place.

In forming the roof of the combustion-chainber no arches are made, but the regeneratorbrick are so laid that each course projects over the one below it until they all meet inthe center, forming a dome-shaped roof for the chamber and at the same time the bottom of the regenerator. Alternate courses of regenerator-brick are laid until a height of from, by preference, twenty or thirty feet is attained, which forms the first regenerator, L, and on top of this regenerator we form a second eombustionchamber. The second combustion-chamber, K', is similar inconstruction to the first, only slightly lower. This second chamber, K', is roofed like the one below it, and a second regenerator, L', built over it of the same height as the rst. A third combustion- IOO IIO

' of central opening.

-directly over it.

trance through the pipe-gi.

25p-arse fr chamber, K2, is now builtY like lthe first ,and second, to be followed by a third regenerator, L2. Afourt-h, fth, or sixth combustion-chamber and regenerator may be added in succession, if necessary. The `top ofthe last-built regenerator forms the bottomof the draftchimneyichamber M, and supports the ibrick liningof this chamber and the draft-stack() lEach combustion-chamber is'pr'ovided with four or more cleaning-doors, N, to be used for cleaning out the Vdust accumulating in the regenerators, andv each door is provided with an air .register or regulating device, N', .that is opened for the admission'of air .when the stove is onwgas and closed when on air.

The water-cooled valves D, placed iu the draft-stack or chimney C iin the hot-air pipe O, and at the' gasentrance l? into the stove, aremadeinthe following manner: A casing, Q, is provided, of either wrought or cast iron, of a size sufficient to linefout with firebrick and still maintain Ythe requisite area The opposite ends c of this casing are `usually Amade round with flanges d atthe end to fasten it in its intended position. The-body portion of the casing is made in sections somewhat resembling the capital letter D, with the straight portion e open and adapted to :be closed by the removable plate T3. vIn the upper section of the circular part ofthe casing, immediately above the D-part, I secure a hollowvcast-iron circular valve-seat cast, R, through which a stream of water is caused 4to flow.

The valve proper, S, is also made in the form of aletter, D,-and provided with the cylindrical seat S', madeconical and turned to-fit the seat R, secured vin thecasing. This valve is cast hollow, and the' straight leg Szis projected at each endoutside-of thecasing Q, so as to form -a hinge or hollow shaft for supporting the valve as well as for operating it. The

cooling-water enters'one end of this hollowshaft, circulates through fthe valve, and discharges through vthe opposite end. On each end of the valve-shaft, and .outside of the casing, is rigidly secured atoothed sector,T, into which pinions Tof the shaft T* mesh, for'the` purpose of partly rotating the valve, vand thus lowering it from its seat `into the recess T2 formed in theI cover to receive it, or raising it to its seat. The shaft .T4-is journaled in the arms T5 of the face-plate T6. causev the valve to close upward, which prevents any dirt or dust lodgingv on the seat when the valve is open. NVhcn the valve S is in its open position, it stands vertical in -the recess T?, formed to receive it, and when closed, rests in a horizontal position against its seat. The Water for cooling rst enters the valve-seat R and through the pipe y, and, after circulating through it, enters the Avalve proper through the pipe g', and `is,discharged-opposite its en- The journals of the valve-shaft are provided with .bearings i,

By preference I secured tothesideofthe 'casing Q;and so arranged that Athey can :beslii-ftedfintoiany posi; tioninecessary to secure agoodti'tofth'evalve -to the 4valve-seat.` 7o

Various forms of lregencrater-brick may be used, andthe Greek crossgmay be used lalone by setting each ,alternate one-halfits thickness higher than the adjoining brick, or all mitre brick may be used. However, the construction, heretofore described, of alternate courses Lof Greek crosses and mitre brick will be found' to give the best result. l

In operating my regenerative stove I irst open `the chimney-valve D, close the cold-air 8o valve G, and open theAgas-adm'ission valve P and air-valves N in the ycleaning-doors. The

venteringgases from the pipe P areifgnited in the lower `combustion-chamber, K, and being in excess of `what can be thoroughly burnedin 8 5 this chamber, the excess 4passes through the first regenerator lalong `with the product of `combustion `of that part ofthe ,gas that is burned. On entering thefsecond combustionchamber, K. and coming ,into contact with 9o the freshly-admitted. air, another vigorous combustion begins, due in a great measure-to the' high temperature attained by the gases in passing through the vfirst regenerator. The combustion in the second chamber is not sufticiently thorough toconsume :allthe combustible portions of the gases, and they, .like in the `first chamber, pass throughthe second regenerator, L', into the third combustion-chamber, K2,where', coming into 'contact again with roo freshly-admitted air, vanother combustion begins, which about exhausts the `gases of `their burning powers. Theproduct of combustion in the third chamber is not so vigorous asinthe second, nor is the secondv so rapid as the first;

hence each successive regeneratorabsorbsless heat than thepreceding one, andthe products l.escaping into the chimney of the stove will be lat a comparatively lowtelnperature.

In order to further facilitate combustion, I intro 11o duce air'into one or more of the fines or cells U2 of the regenerator, the lower ends of the said iiues beingclosed, so thatnogaseslmay enter.

The flues U, instead of `terminatingat their `lower ends inthe combustion-chambers, pass outwardly through the casing, and are each provided at their outer ends with an air-valve for governing the .admission of air thereto.

By this arrangement no combustion of the f gases can take place Vin the cell to which air 12o has been admitted. Consequently the air in its passage up through lthis cell absorbs heat,

and is delivered into thecombustion-chamber at a considerably high temperature. Insteadv of closing up the lower endsof one or more of the flues U to form airfheating cells U2, (shown in Figs. 2 and 5,) these airfheatingcells can be formed-in the wall of the furnace, as shown at U, Fig. 4. After the regenerators have absorbed the proper amount ofyheat, the gasad- 13o mission valve P and the chimney-valve Dare closed, and the cold-air valve G and hot-air valve I are opened, and the blast from the blowing machinery is caused to pass in an opposite direction through the stove from that pursued by the burning gases, thereby heating it to a temperature of from 1,000o to 1,500o Fahrenheit, as may be desired, and passing out through the pipe H and O. This process of alternate cooling and heating of the stoves is continued in such a manner that a blast of almost uniform temperature is delivered to the furnace.

By my process of heating the regenerators and their manner of construction, with short net-work of brick limiting the travel of the heating-gases to a comparatively-short distance, no excessive temperatures are required in the combustion-ehamber, as is the case in the ordinary regenerative stove with only one combustion-cl1amber; hence less vitrifaction of brick takes place, and their power of receiving and imparting heat is not destroyed.

The iiues of the regenerator, being short, are readily cleaned through the cleaning-doors by inserting a movable blow-pipe alternately into each iiue and blowing a strong blast of air through them.

A peculiar feature ot' my blow-pipe, and a new one, is that the mouth of the blow-pipe is the size of the flue in the net-work of the rcgenerator, and that the entire force of the blowing-engine is concentrated on each flue to be cleaned and a violent blast forced through it.

I am aware that a regenerative hot-blast stove has been described wherein two regenerators are disposed in a horizontal position, one being located over the other, the adjacent ends being connected by an endchamber provided with openings for the admission of Scrapers for the removal of dust. In my improved apparatus the regenerators are vertically disposed, one located over the other and connected by a combustionchamber, thereby forming a continuous straight passage for the gas and air.

It is evident that numerous slight changes in the construction and relative arrangement of the several parts might be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a regenerative hot-blast stove, two or more regenerative chambers arranged vertically one above the other, and a combustionchamber at the lower end of each regenerative chamber, in combination with an air-in let pipe communicating with the upper regenerator, and a hot-airexit pipe connecting with the lower rcgenerator, substantially as set forth.

2. In a regenerative hot-blast stove, two or more regenerative chambers arranged vertically one above the other, and a combustionchamber at the lower end of each regenerative chamber, in combination with an air-inlet pipe communicating with the upper portion of the upper regenerator, and a hot-airexit pipe and gas-supply pipe communicating with the combustion-chamber of the lower regenerator, substantially as set forth.

3. In a regenerative hot-blast stove, two or more regenerative chambers arranged vertically one above the other, and a combustionchamber at the lower end of each regenerative chamber, in combination with an air-inlet pipe communicating with the upper regenerative chamber, a hot-air-exit pipe and gassupply pipe communicating with the combustion-chamber of the lower regenerator, and air-valves for supplying airto the combustionchambers, substantially as set forth.

4.. In a regenerative hot-blast stove, two or more regenerative chambers arranged vertically one above the other, and a combustionehamber at the lower end of each regenerative chamber, in combination with an air-in let pipe communicating with the upper regenerative chamber, the hot-air-exit pipe and supply-pipe communicating with the combustion-chamber of the lower regenerator, and valves for closing the hot air and gas pipes, and for opening and closing the stove atapoint above the air-inlet pipe, substantially as set forth.

5. In a regenerativehot-blast stove, the combination, with two or more regenerative chambers arranged vertically one above the other, av combustion-chamber at the lower end of each regenerative chamber, and a stack located over the upper regenerative chamber, of an air-inlet pipe communicating with the stack, and a valve located in the stack at a point above said air-inlet pipe, substantially as set forth.

6. In a regenerative hot-blast stove, the combination, with two or more regenerative chambers arranged vertically one over the other, of combustion-chambers at the lower end of each regenerative chamber, said combustion-chambers gradually decreasing in size from the bottom upward, substantially as set forth.

7. rIhe combination, with a casing and aseries of comb ustion-chambers and regenerators situated in the same vertical plane, of airiiues U', passing upwardly through theregenerators, for the purpose of heating the air admitted through these flues before it reaches the combastion-chamber.

8. In a regenerative liot-blast stove, a regenerator formed from brick of Greek-cross shape, substantially as set forth.

9. In a regenerative hot-blaststove,aregen erator formed of alternate layers composed of IOO IIO

Greek-cross brick and straight brick withbeveled ends, thebrick of said alternate layers being arranged -to break joints with each other.

10. In a regenerator hot-blast stove, a regenerator formed of alternate courses of the Greek-cross bricks I and the straight blocks or bricks J, the said bricks being provided with grooves or gutters on one surface, and corresponding projections on the opposite surface, substantially asset forth.`

11. In 'a regenerative hot-blast stove, the combustion chamber formed by projecting each successive course of brick inwardly until they meet in the center, forming a dome-sh aped roof, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination,with a metallic casing, adapted to be lined with nre-brick and provided with a recess or space, and a hollow valve seat situated within said easing, of a hollow valve pivoted within said casing, the spindles of the said valve being hollow and projecting4 beyond said casing, and water supply and ex haust pipes communicating with the saidvalve and seat, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination, with the casing Q, provided with the recess T2, the hollow valve-seat R, and the pinions T, secured to a shaft, the

latter being journaled in arms secured to the casing, of the hollow valve, the segment rack- .bars, and water supply and waste pipes, substantially as set forth.

14. In a regenerativehot-blast stove,the combination, with a casing lined with fire-brick v ator, andwater-eooled valves situated in the hot-air andgas pipes, substantially as set forth. g

15. The combination, with the casing, the

series of regenerators and combustion-cham- 45 bers, and the valve D, ofthe pipe E, valve G, and pipes P and O, substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER L. WEIMER. Witnesses:

ELMER-E. RANoH,

ToBIAs REINOEHL, J r. 

